Does Living In The Uk Drive People To Drink/drugs/obesity/anti Depressants

[goldilocksporridge]

We are constantly bombarded by news stories - that the UK is the worst for Binge Drinking, Drug Use, Obesity in europe(or the world) and anti depressant use is soaring. What is it about living in the UK that drives us to totally smashed on a friday night, and then wuff down junk food, take drugs, and oh pop some anti depressants during the week to help you get through to the weekend.

I mean is there anything different or more depressing about the UK, than say another European Country that drives people to greater use of alcohol, drugs and food.

Anti Depressant use

Anti Depressant use increasing

Recession causing anti depressants use

Britain now official drugs capital of Europe as more youngsters use cocaine, ecstasy and amphetamines

Britain now highest cocaine use in world

Britain now Binge Drinking Capital of Europe

Britain now the fat man of Europe

[Bossybabe]

Don't. You're depressing me.

[righttoleech]

BTL does it.

[blobloblob]

On the alcohol thing, I think that numerous studies show that we in Britain have been drinking less and less for a few decades. What has increased during that time is the amount of attention given to drinking in the media and the vociferousness of the neo-puritan lobby. Take for example the use of the term 'binge drinking' which has entered the vernacular over the last decade, where previously the word 'drinking' used to suffice when describing the same thing.

Remember too that different countries might count things in different ways, as well as the fact that different societies might be more or less open about their habits, and this could render comparisons completely useless.

[daddybear]

Yes it is

We are a totally self obsessed, jealous, obsessed with money country

And everything is too expensive to boot

[Executive Sadman]

Apparently actually the Maltese are the fattest people in europe, despite having a nice meditteranean climate.

OTOH given theres only a few dozen of them it only takes having the worlds fattest family to drag the average up, so the stats might be deceptive.

[goldilocksporridge]

Apparently actually the Maltese are the fattest people in europe, despite having a nice meditteranean climate.

OTOH given theres only a few dozen of them it only takes having the worlds fattest family to drag the average up, so the stats might be deceptive.

Well it was a UK colony, so that might explain it

[mitchbux]

Yes it is

We are a totally self obsessed, jealous, obsessed with money country

And everything is too expensive to boot

You've obviously met my mother.

[EmmaRoid #FBPE#JC4PM#GTTO]

We are constantly bombarded by news stories - that the UK is the worst for Binge Drinking, Drug Use, Obesity in europe(or the world) and anti depressant use is soaring. What is it about living in the UK that drives us to totally smashed on a friday night, and then wuff down junk food, take drugs, and oh pop some anti depressants during the week to help you get through to the weekend.

I mean is there anything different or more depressing about the UK, than say another European Country that drives people to greater use of alcohol, drugs and food.

Anti Depressant use

Anti Depressant use increasing

Recession causing anti depressants use

Britain now official drugs capital of Europe as more youngsters use cocaine, ecstasy and amphetamines

Britain now highest cocaine use in world

Britain now Binge Drinking Capital of Europe

Britain now the fat man of Europe

Long OPs

[tinker]

On the alcohol thing, I think that numerous studies show that we in Britain have been drinking less and less for a few decades. What has increased during that time is the amount of attention given to drinking in the media and the vociferousness of the neo-puritan lobby. Take for example the use of the term 'binge drinking' which has entered the vernacular over the last decade, where previously the word 'drinking' used to suffice when describing the same thing.

Remember too that different countries might count things in different ways, as well as the fact that different societies might be more or less open about their habits, and this could render comparisons completely useless.

I believe that is correct, certainly there has been a decline on trade boozing. The righteous would argue drink isn't dear enough.

We have created a culture of interfering busybodies, usually taxpayer funded sadly.

I notice it a public meetings with Council officials - the people who bother are mostly the moaners and curtain twitchers, this means that politicians do knee-jerk stuff as this is the clamour they hear. What they don't here is:

Leave us alone and Stop interfering in every aspect of our lives, please.

[SarahBell]

BTL does it.

Bacon lettuce and tomato? No surely that's two of your five a day

[shipbuilder]

I mean is there anything different or more depressing about the UK, than say another European Country that drives people to greater use of alcohol, drugs and food.

Obsession with money, 'economic growth' above all else and a live to work culture, courtesy of the 'work ethic' lie. Holding up sociopaths as examples of success.

Other european countries care less about these things, the US hasn't lost their sense of community.

[porca misèria]

Pavlovian Marketing

Along with the car-centric culture that puts roads off-limits and leaves so many kids stuck at home (and bored out of their minds) other than when supervised.

[DTMark]

We are constantly bombarded by news stories - that the UK is the worst for Binge Drinking, Drug Use, Obesity in europe(or the world) and anti depressant use is soaring. What is it about living in the UK that drives us to totally smashed on a friday night, and then wuff down junk food, take drugs, and oh pop some anti depressants during the week to help you get through to the weekend.

I mean is there anything different or more depressing about the UK, than say another European Country that drives people to greater use of alcohol, drugs and food.

Anti Depressant use

Anti Depressant use increasing

Recession causing anti depressants use

Britain now official drugs capital of Europe as more youngsters use cocaine, ecstasy and amphetamines

Britain now highest cocaine use in world

Britain now Binge Drinking Capital of Europe

Britain now the fat man of Europe

I think the direct answer to your question is "Yes".

I'd always imagined that any decline in the use of alcohol is due to people discovering that weed is far nicer and the two don't mix well. (Believe about 12% of people smoke weed regularly)

However, the Netherlands doesn't have the drug abuse problems that we have (the harder stuff, like Coke) and they have a much more liberal attitude to drugs.

But then, they have a much nicer country as well.

[SarahBell]

Along with the car-centric culture that puts roads off-limits and leaves so many kids stuck at home (and bored out of their minds) other than when supervised.

F*ck right off.

We are breeding a generation that can not sit quietly. They need constant stimulation and entertainment pumped at them all the time. We are rotting their brains.

If kids can not sit still and find something nice and quiet to do (Read, draw, paint, etc) then we are SO screwed.

Kids in london have free use of buses and tube so don't give me that as an excuse for the monstrous nature of the beast.

Over-stimulated kids will turn into adults that need constant stimulation which they'll find really hard to get.

It annoys me that money is spent on youth clubs - there shouldn't be this age discrimination twaddle going on. There should be "clubs" for people of all ages to go and do nice stuff. These clubs could be called FAMILIES

[Riedquat]

What drives me to depression about living here isn't the UK, it's the people in it. Get rid of most of them and there's nowhere that I'd rather be. As it is, it's a bit like living with the best-looking woman you've ever seen, only that she's got everything in that Monty Python Medical Love Song.

Anyway, anywhere else doesn't have a decent cup of tea and pint of real ale as easily available, which in the long run would probably end up even more depressing.

[porca misèria]

Anyway, anywhere else doesn't have a decent cup of tea and pint of real ale as easily available, which in the long run would probably end up even more depressing.

Funnily enough, real ale doesn't travel, and I don't just mean that literally. When I lived in Italy I was able to source some decent stuff, but I nevertheless lost the taste for it - it just doesn't suit the place. Returning to Blighty my taste for it came back.

But having lived in both UK and Italy I do suffer in the caffeine department when I travel. Faced with foreign muck I miss both decent tea (Blighty) and decent coffee (Italy).

[Austin Allegro]

We are constantly bombarded by news stories - that the UK is the worst for Binge Drinking, Drug Use, Obesity in europe(or the world) and anti depressant use is soaring. What is it about living in the UK that drives us to totally smashed on a friday night, and then wuff down junk food, take drugs, and oh pop some anti depressants during the week to help you get through to the weekend.

I mean is there anything different or more depressing about the UK, than say another European Country that drives people to greater use of alcohol, drugs and food.

Anti Depressant use

Anti Depressant use increasing

Recession causing anti depressants use

Britain now official drugs capital of Europe as more youngsters use cocaine, ecstasy and amphetamines

Britain now highest cocaine use in world

Britain now Binge Drinking Capital of Europe

Britain now the fat man of Europe

I don't know about rates of drinking, but I would say public drunkenness is worse than it used to be in the Uk, and probably the worst of any country in the world I've been to. I spent 5 months in India this year and in all that time only saw three persons drunk and incapable (none were disorderly). Whereas Britains' town centres on weekends really are pretty unpleasant. I was recently vomited on by accident on the tube in London - not by some old tramp, but by a young, smartly dressed woman. (fortunately i was wearing my raincoat, but it wasn't very nice all the same). I know that when I was a kid, there were usually rough football crowds on Saturdays but they tended to be more contained.

I don' t know what causes it. I'd say it's partly the fault of cheap booze and stand-up-and-shout pub culture, depressing weather and social inadequacy, but also a deeper breakdown in families and community values.

[winkie]

You will find it hard to find someone over the age of 18 without at least one addiction, many have more than one....

[blobloblob]

I don't know about rates of drinking, but I would say public drunkenness is worse than it used to be in the Uk, and probably the worst of any country in the world I've been to. I spent 5 months in India this year and in all that time only saw three persons drunk and incapable (none were disorderly). Whereas Britains' town centres on weekends really are pretty unpleasant. I was recently vomited on by accident on the tube in London - not by some old tramp, but by a young, smartly dressed woman. (fortunately i was wearing my raincoat, but it wasn't very nice all the same). I know that when I was a kid, there were usually rough football crowds on Saturdays but they tended to be more contained.

I don' t know what causes it. I'd say it's partly the fault of cheap booze and stand-up-and-shout pub culture, depressing weather and social inadequacy, but also a deeper breakdown in families and community values.

My experience is different to yours. I see less drunkenness now that I did 10 years ago, which in turn was less than 10 to 15 years prior to that. Back then - 25 years ago say - people used to say that there used to lots more fighting back in the 50s and 60s, not necessarily exactly the same thing as drunkenness but closely linked. Overall, I would guess that drunken thuggery has been on a long, gradual decrease over the last half a century or so.

[Byron]

My experience is different to yours. I see less drunkenness now that I did 10 years ago, which in turn was less than 10 to 15 years prior to that. Back then - 25 years ago say - people used to say that there used to lots more fighting back in the 50s and 60s, not necessarily exactly the same thing as drunkenness but closely linked. Overall, I would guess that drunken thuggery has been on a long, gradual decrease over the last half a century or so.

Not too sure about this. (I was around then!)

It is mainly anecdotal and of course as you get older, you do not frequent the same places as the young.

I should imagine that statistics for fights and assaults would give part of the answer.

[Byron]

I believe that is correct, certainly there has been a decline on trade boozing. The righteous would argue drink isn't dear enough.

We have created a culture of interfering busybodies, usually taxpayer funded sadly.

I notice it a public meetings with Council officials - the people who bother are mostly the moaners and curtain twitchers, this means that politicians do knee-jerk stuff as this is the clamour they hear. What they don't here is:

Leave us alone and Stop interfering in every aspect of our lives, please.

The Tyranny of the Minority!

[northwestsmith2]

Because the drinks are stronger also more people drink more on one night than they used to it causes problems.

Spreading it out was probably why they introduced 24 hour drinking to try and get the damage down.

http://www.ic.nhs.uk/statistics-and-data-collections/health-and-lifestyles/alcohol/statistics-on-alcohol-england-2010

Milliliters of alcohol per person per week

Consumption within the home

1992 527

1993 536

1994 552

1995 627

1996 656

1997 653

1998 645

1999 640

2000 725

2001/02 735

2002/03 726

2003/04 792

2004/05 763

2005/06 739

20066 760

2007 772

2008 706

Consumption outside the home 7. Data on volumes consumed outside of the homes from 1992 to 2000 is not available.

2001/02 733

2002/03 704

2003/04 664

2004/05 616

2005/06 597

20066 561

2007 503

2008 443

Drank more than 6 units on at least one day

1998 8

2000 9

2001 9

2002 9

2003 9

2004 9

20052 8

2006 (original method)3,4 8

2006 (improved method)3,4 15

20073,4 16

20083,4 14

2008 (updated method)3,5 15

[blobloblob]

Because the drinks are stronger also more people drink more on one night than they used to it causes problems.

Spreading it out was probably why they introduced 24 hour drinking to try and get the damage down.

http://www.ic.nhs.uk/statistics-and-data-collections/health-and-lifestyles/alcohol/statistics-on-alcohol-england-2010

Milliliters of alcohol per person per week

Consumption within the home

1992 527

1993 536

1994 552

1995 627

1996 656

1997 653

1998 645

1999 640

2000 725

2001/02 735

2002/03 726

2003/04 792

2004/05 763

2005/06 739

20066 760

2007 772

2008 706

Consumption outside the home 7. Data on volumes consumed outside of the homes from 1992 to 2000 is not available.

2001/02 733

2002/03 704

2003/04 664

2004/05 616

2005/06 597

20066 561

2007 503

2008 443

Drank more than 6 units on at least one day

1998 8

2000 9

2001 9

2002 9

2003 9

2004 9

20052 8

2006 (original method)3,4 8

2006 (improved method)3,4 15

20073,4 16

20083,4 14

2008 (updated method)3,5 15

Thanks for that. As I suggested earlier, I've always felt that we've been drinking less, not more, over the years but it surprises me just how much it's fallen away recently. Also notable is the way that the perceived 'problem' became worse when it was measured in a different way.

Data on volumes consumed outside of the homes from 1992 to 2000 is not available. My experience of drinking in pubs goes back to the mid eighties and I remain in no doubt whatsoever that from then to 2000 it was falling.

[goldilocksporridge]

More worrying is the sheer number of people taking anti depressants, normal people going about their day to day business who need to take these to get through the day. i think shows just below the fascade and surface there is a lot worry, stress and anxiety perhaps with economy and just the stress of modern life. Like this link saying 1 in 10 people are on anti depressants!

1 in 10 Taking Anti Depressants

One of the things I like about HPC, is that on this board people actually discuss problems like house prices being too high, lack of jobs, an economic system thats rewards greed and selfishness- that just maybe things are not perfect. But try getting the average sheeple to discuss that.